Too confusing. I am done with this series. ( )

I don't know how to rate this, or review it, given everything that has happened with the series. So instead, I'll just point you to Black Girl Nerds' excellent rundown of Wiebe's shitty treatment of Tess Fowler to appease and assist Upchurch - the co-creator who has been convicted of domestic abuse. https://blackgirlnerds.com/twitter-rat-queens-domestic-abuse/

Still liking these queens. This volume brings in some of the more magical side of the world, and it's a nice touch to throw in a bit more mystery and nuance to the magic and the various sources the characters draw from while still playing out story and character drama. ( )

Boobs.

That was the ony thing I could think about. And I was raised on boobs in comics. So I found it very telling that that was the only thing that got my attention...

The story wasn't good enough to get my whole focus.

Only the boobs did... ( )

Riding on the high after revisiting the first two volumes, I felt so let-down by this. So much of the plot felt cliche--right down to the Misty Mountains/Mines of Moria scene. The flow and wonderful backstory we got previously was patchy at best here. There was also a bit too much gooey "friends are the best, let's all just love each other" banter going on, which does not keep with the usual Queens repartee and warranted several eye rolls over here.

Then there's the issue with the art. Honestly, I barely perceived much difference when the torch was passed to Šejić. But the changes in the visual dynamic of the comic with Fowler's art didn't really jive with me. It feels odd to say this, what with a comic that's over-the-top with gratuitous sex and violence, but the way the Queens are drawn here seems a bit smarmy. I wanted to like it more, especially because of all the turmoil surrounding its creators, but the Queens just didn't seem like the same women we've gotten to know in prior issues.

I'm not ready to lose hope. It bums me out that things are so shaky at Rat Queens Central, and I don't really need to have Upchurch back on the team again, but I'll hold out to see if there's an eventual return to the original spirit of the Rat Queens. ( )